The design of the video game control has changed dramatically in recent years. Prior-art control interfaces were popularly designed with hand-actuated control mechanisms, such as joysticks and trackballs, and the like.
To create a more kinematic experience for a participating player, arrays of pushed, toggled, or otherwise physically actuated switches, have sometimes been deployed within a defined playing space. For example, Japanese Publication No. 5-161761, published Jun. 29, 1993 (Yamoka) discloses a game platform interfaced to a television game machine. A playing participant typically stands on the game platform while watching a game on a TV monitor.
The game platform has an array of pressure switches, placed within reach by hands or feet, for the playing participant to selectively press during the progression of a game. However, a sense of interactive realism may be hampered because of the inevitable visual and tactile perceptions of the playing environment in locating and actuating such physically manipulated switches. This undesirable awareness becomes especially problematic for kinematic video games.
Capper et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,078, issued Feb. 22, 1994, discloses a control interface apparatus which addresses the above concerns. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the prior-art control apparatus comprises a plurality of signal transceivers which may allow a participating player to interactively play a video boxing game with a video character. The Capper et al. apparatus is infrared sensor based, and may be used as a controller interface for use with a video game machine.
However, the prior-art apparatus of Capper et al. is not perfect, and may not be easy to troubleshoot. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a shielding partition may be required to shield infrared transmitters from infrared receivers. A multiplicity of radiated infrared signals directed to a playing space may confuse infrared transceivers as to the source of a reflected infrared signal. For a boxing type game, infrared transceivers must be thoughtfully directed with respect to a playing space, otherwise a player's left punch may not be distinguishable from the player's right punch by the infrared signal receivers.
Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the apparatus of Capper does not provide a surface for the player to contact with boxing gloves, hands, feet, or the like. Thus, the player is reduced to mere shadow boxing, and no tactile feel is provided of hitting an actual surface or person.
Heretofore, these prior-art interface devices were either lacking in interactive realism in interfacing with a participating player, or efforts to add a sense of interactive realism were cumbersome or proved imperfect in ordinary operations.
What is then required is a new and improved digital body interface apparatus to more effectively bring about a sense of interactive realism to video game playing. It must be easy to deploy, aesthetically simple, and durable for commercial use. But most of all, it must add to the sense of interactive realism to a participating player without the aid of loose accessories, platforms, body gear, or other sensory distractions.